How Do I Know What I Think Until I See What I Say?

I know I don't usually post on Tuesdays, but I just heard THE MOST AWESOMELY BAD SONG in the history of the universe, and I have to share it with you. I can't embed it, but here's the link to YouTube: All You Did Was Save My Life . I'll do an in-depth analysis later, when I'm not supposed to be, you know, at work, but here's just the first verse of lyrics, which was what made me sit, rapt, at a stoplight with my mouth literally hanging open at the AWESOME AWFULNESS: You looked at me as you walked in the room like the Red Sea you split me open somehow I knew these wings were stolen All you did was save my life. Those, my friends, are some awesomely bad lyrics. And the music sounds like Nelson wrote it. Seriously, you MUST hear this song.

1. Lynn Viehl has a great post on what her relationship with her agent is like. Most people who talk about agents (myself included) are early in their relationships with their agents, so it's really interesting to see a veteran's perspective. 2. Shooter , starring Mark Wahlberg, is a good movie. Not a great movie, not a complex movie, but a solid entertaining thriller. I'd never seen it before, but it's a great Sunday afternoon while-you're-paying-the-bills-or-doing-the-housework movie. 3. Summer arrived in Ohio this weekend. In August. Yeah, I was okay with eternal spring, thanks. 4. This weekend was the season premiere of America's Best Dance Crew. I know it's a cheesy MTV show about dance crews and it's hosted by the cheesiest of the cheesy, Mario Lopez, but it's still an awesome show, especially if you watch it on DVR so you can fast forward through the lame Mario comments. The judges' comments are usually cool and useful, though,...

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of music that is really great, but that isn't so mind-blowingly great as to deserve a post of it's own on the blog. So here's a list of Five Perfect Pop Songs According to Jay. They may not change your life, but they will make a sunny Saturday afternoon even better: 1. "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson. It's not "Thriller" or "Billie Jean" but this little gem of a song is just pure delight. Sample Lyrics: hey pretty baby with the high heels on you give me fever like I've never ever known you're just a product of loveliness I like the groove of your walk, your talk, your dress 2. "The Two of Us" by 'Nsync. It sounds like an afternoon at the carnival and it feels like bubbles in your nose. Say what you want about 'Nsync, but this song demonstrates why they were the biggest pop act in the world in the 90s. Sample Lyrics: 'Cause in a room full of people ...

On his blog this week, agent Nathan Bransford asked his readers how they deal with the "Am I crazies," which he defined as this: You probably know what I'm talking about: the "Am I crazies" are that feeling you get where you're spending so much time writing a novel or multiple novels, your friends and family are wondering what you're doing, and you have no idea whatsoever whether you will ever see publication. You could be spending your hours writing the great American novel or you could be writing something that will only be read by your critique partners. No way of knowing. That's when you stare at the ceiling and wonder, "Am I crazy for spending so much time doing this?" It's an interesting question. Writers, like other artists, are asked to create before they get paid (either literally, like, in money, or figuratively, in appreciation). So someone who wants to be a writer has to commit to the work first, and then hope for the rew...

1. Apparently, Sunday is the day when all the guys who own the upholstery shops work in them with their shirts off. At least that was my experience on my morning constitutional this weekend. I don't know why, but it makes me less likely to go into these shops and inquire about having my couch redone. 2. Running Scared is a great buddy cop film. It stars Billy Crystal and the late great Gregory Hines as Chicago police officers who just need one last big bust before they move down to Florida and open a bar. If you can get past the 80s music and the hilarious technology (cell phones as big as phone books), it's a smart and funny cop movie. It's the cop movie that Lethal Weapon wanted to be when it grew up. (Yes, even the first Lethal Weapon .) 3. I mowed my lawn. I'm sure you don't care, but my neighbors are probably throwing a party. 4. I accidentally read a crappy book this weekend and now I have to wait until Monday to get started on some revisions I've pu...

A while ago (like, way back in May), Agent Kristin had writer Carolyn Jewel do a guest post on the intricacies of including backstory in the story . Backstory can go wrong primarily in two ways: 1. there isn't any. 2. there's way too much. Most writers err on the side of "way too much." These are the writers who insist on prologues and pages of stuff about the character's childhood, when the character isn't actually a child anymore. I can understand this. I mean, you spend all your time working out these characters and their world--leaving any of it out, especially when it does have an impact on your story, can be really hard. Worse, when it's well-written. Carolyn Jewel comes down hard on backstory. She writes that whenever you leave the "now" of the story, things get boring. I'm not entirely convinced of that, but I do agree with her that backstory has to be parsed out in dribs and drabs, a couple of sentences at a time, interspe...

1. This weekend I saw 500 Days of Summer , and even though I thought I knew exactly what the movie would be like, I was wrong and you should totally see this movie. It's funny and touching incredibly well-directed.* It's not the movie you think it is. 2. Also, who knew that the kid of Third Rock from the Sun would be the best actor of his generation? With 500 Days , Joseph Gordon Levitt's become number one on my "see everything this guy does" list. Every project he picks may not be 100 percent successful**, but they're all really interesting. 3. I don't think I've posted about this before, so here is blog The Worst Review Ever , where writers post with a sense of humor about the worst review they've gotten. 4. I am totally in love with my new sunroom, which is just my old sunroom, only clean and with plants. I even bought a watering can so that New Sunroom--Now With More Plants! doesn't turn into the Room That Jay Avoids, Now With More...